Grams Macaroni Salad
In her later years, my Grandmother, who I affectionately named Grams, would always offer to make the Macaroni Salad for the warm weather picnic style gatherings. Not one for salads over -laden with mayonnaise and preferring simple foods, Macaroni Salad was Grams best pick to insure something plain and simple on the table which also contained just enough vegetables for a bit of crunch and color.
With access to so many diverse ingredients in today’s market and considering the large shift in taste preferences toward bolder flavors including the now common use of full-flavored spices, a range of hot peppers, and the hot chili sauce, Sriracha, it all makes Grams Macaroni Salad seem well, perhaps even somewhat bland.
Nevertheless, preparing the dish a day in advance, enabling the flavors to blend well together, I decided to stick to the old preparation for the Fourth of July celebration, offering a bowl from the hot weather picnic gatherings of past, a simple slice of Americana, Grams Macaroni Salad.
Grams Macaroni Salad
Notes
Grams Macaroni Salad is best prepared one day in advance, covered and chilled so flavors can blend together, check seasoning before serving
Ingredients
- one pound elbow macaroni, cooked in salted boiling water until just done, drained, rinsed in cool water then transferred to a long large container or extra large bowl
- 2-3 carrots, peeled, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, sliced lengthwise, chopped
- 1-1 1/2 medium sized red onion, chopped
- 3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
- 1 teaspoon celery seed
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 1/4 cups mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt, plus more according to taste
- 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper, plus more according to taste
- 3 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
- Toss together carrots, celery, and red onion with the cooked macaroni
- Scrape in the chopped hard boiled eggs, fold through
- Sprinkle in the celery seeds
- Pour in the red wine vinegar, then stir throughout before spooning in the mayonnaise and folding evenly through
- Sprinkle in the salt and pepper, stir
- Cover Grams Macaroni Salad with Plastic Wrap and refrigerate overnight for flavors to blend
- Before serving, toss through the parsley, check seasoning adding a touch more mayonnaise, vinegar if desired, and a bit more salt and pepper, according to taste
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